The provincial Minister of Health of South Kivu launched, Monday, November 28, the preventive vaccination campaign once morest yellow fever in Bukavu (South Kivu).
Three urban health zones of this agglomeration are initially concerned with the objective of vaccinating all people under 60 in the 34 health zones of the province.
Dr. Joseph Matundanya, provincial coordinating doctor of the Expanded Vaccination Program (EPI) in South Kivu, revealed that among the 26 provinces of the DRC, some have notified cases of yellow fever that have been laboratory confirmed.
“There are even epidemics that have started in Kinshasa and in other provinces, which is why the government, through the Ministry of Health, organized this campaign for people from 9 months to 60 years old. Yellow fever is a disease that manifests as fevers accompanied by jaundice,” he said.
The provincial coordinator of the EPI stressed that the vaccine remains the best way to fight once morest yellow fever:
“The disease is transmitted by mosquitoes called Aedes. There is no proper treatment for yellow fever. This is why the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health have implemented the vaccine once morest this disease because when you are affected by yellow fever, the risk of mortality is high”.
This yellow fever vaccination campaign in Bukavu was launched in the presence of government partners such as WHO and UNICEF.